Hired Assassins

Assassins for Hire:
US Citizens, Israelis,
and Palestinians
Kill for Money
in Yemen

October 22, 2018

The US-based mercenary company Spear Group, headed by an Israeli and hired by a Palestinian on behalf of the UAE, conducts extra-judicial killings in Yemen. Antony Loewenstein discusses the details

Story Transcript

GREG WILPERT: It’s The Real News Network. I’m Greg Wilpert joining you from Baltimore.
On Tuesday, Aram Roston of BuzzFeed revealed that the United Arab Emirates, UAE, hired an American mercenary company called Spear Operations Group to assassinate individuals in Yemen, and that they also attempted to plant a bomb at the headquarters of the Islamic party in this operation. The UAE is cooperating with Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthi ethnic group that is governing Yemen. It is very interesting to note that the UAE did not contact this company directly, but it was Mohammed Dahlan, a Palestinian from Gaza who is a former senior member of the Fatah party who reached out to the Spear Operations Group.
And so why was the Spear Operations Group chosen out of dozens of similar mercenary companies? Spear Operations Group was founded by Abraham Golan, a former Israeli military officer and well-known businessman in the private military and security business. Already in February, the Yemeni Transportation Minister Saleh al-Gabwani warned that the U.S. intervenes in Yemen by creating small armies, and fragmenting the territory and its population.
SALEH AL-GABWANI: The situation is very bad in all liberated areas, particularly those in the south, where there are tribal armies established and supported by the United Arab Emirates. There are also provincial armies, and there are gangs. Even Al Qaeda is spreading there in large parts of the governorates. Al Qaeda has never been as present as it is right now.
GREG WILPERT: Joining me now to discuss the role of the U.S. mercenaries in the Yemen war is Antony Loewenstein. He’s an independent journalist and author of Disaster Capitalism: Making a Killing out of Catastrophe. Thanks for joining us again.
ANTONY LOEWENSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
GREG WILPERT: So what is the UAE trying to achieve in Yemen? » Lees verder